Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The passage in 2nd Nephi supposedly took place between BC 559-545. So 500+ yrs before Jesus was born these guys are talking about saints enduring crosses.
The vocabulary in their statement gives it away. It tells us they haven’t a clue as to what they’re saying, or what enduring the shame of a cross even means. If they did, such statements wouldn’t enter their thought process.
Only those who hate the cross, and what Jesus did on Calvary, say things like this. They demean, malign, toss aside, change, and even trample upon the word of God. This of course means they’ve also rejected the precious gift He gave to us. Salvation.
As a member of the LDS Church I was always taught we were to steer clear of the cross as it held no promise for us, and stood as a symbol of idolatry for the ‘whores of Babylon’. While I followed the vast majority of all teachings I was given, the cross was the one thing I didn’t understand.
I often wondered what power it held that prompted constant warnings to stay away, and moving to Germany where crosses dotted the skyline like the steeples in Utah only fueled my curiosity. It’s obvious to everyone who’s saved what power it holds, and while we as Christians don’t worship it, we certainly don’t use it in phrases lightly.
I’m convinced they malign, and misuse it because it symbolizes our sin. If we don’t admit we’re sinners, the cross means nothing. The weight of our need for Jesus’ death goes unnoticed in the minds of many, Mormons included. The cross serves as proof to all humanity He was long awaited Redeemer. There are plenty of biblical references to pour over which means church leadership has to go out of its way to ignore the 77 times it’s mentioned in the NT! Here’s a concise list of the number of times this shows up –
Cross • 28
Crucify • 37
Crucified • 12
This week ask the Lord to show you what He’d say to the Mormon about the importance of the cross, and remind them it’s the entire reason He came here to earth!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
This article is an updated version of original posting in 2014.